ABSTRACT
In Chapter 5, we focus on the role of school leaders in promoting organizational improvement and leading system-wide professional learning in service of multilingual learner (ML) success. We present four extended vignettes of real leaders who have made changes in their schools or districts based on a systems thinking approach. Each vignette highlights an aspect of leadership practice related to serving MLs. We present their experiences, challenges, and leadership interventions and use their stories in our discussion of what it takes for leaders to lead school improvement. We include discussion questions for each vignette that can be used by school leaders and administrators to promote the analysis of leadership practice. We then outline key actions for leaders to lead adult development and professional learning that builds practitioner expertise to serve culturally and linguistically diverse students. We end with a set of tools that leaders can use to assess and reflect on their strengths and areas of leadership expertise.
